School Improvement

Most schools have at least one collaborative team that just isn’t cutting the mustard. They meet consistently as a team, but they just don’t seem to make any headway toward improving teaching practices, let alone student achievement. We have trained them in the fundamentals of professional learning communities, shown them videos of what productive teams look like, and have occasionally joined their meetings to help them keep on track. But still, they just don’t seem to “get it.” Read more

Imagine a situation where a student continually receives referrals from the commons area during lunchtime. How would you address this issue? Is it reflective of a schoolwide issue, or is it confined to just that student? To address such issues, schools can use the problem-solving model (PSM). The PSM is used to identify and solve issues that arise, whether they are systems-level issues or concerns with individual students. The PSM consists of four distinct steps. Read more

As the most basic governmental unit, the local school board–superintendent team has undergone much transformation over the last century. This transformation has significant implications for the future of this team. Read more

Five years ago, after I was named Oklahoma’s Assistant Principal of the Year, I had been asked to present at graduate classes or workshops. I realized I had a learned a lot of valuable lessons to share from my years as a school administrator. I began to ask myself how I could find more opportunities to train, teach, or share with aspiring school leaders. Read more